Behind Brady
by Kelsi098
Summary: Brady didn't just love Mack. She's all he has. But he won't let her help him when she finds out why. Will she convince him to get help before the unthinkable occurs?
1. Chapter 1

The entire time they were in West Side Story, Brady was trying. But not just to get out. He was trying to make Mack see. See how much he was hurting, how much he loved her, NEEDED her. Not that she listened. But he still convinced her to stay once they returned home. She still didn't understand how much of his life she was, and how much it hurt when she was about to leave. But that was ok. Because at least they were together.

"So.. Brady... When do I get to meet your folks?" Mack's father had never been in her life, and her mother died, but Brady had met and often hung out with her grandfather. He was a pretty cool guy.

Brady froze. Meet his parents?

"Hey, are you okay?" Mack stopped next to him.

"Yeah, yeah, its just... My parents... Hey, look! Your grandfather finished the new surfboard!" He ran over to admire the beautiful board.

"Really cool, Grandpa," smiled Mack.

"Hey, I'm gonna get to bed. See ya tomorrow?" Mack yawned.

"Ok.. I'll just go surf some more." Brady kissed his tired girlfriend gently on the cheek. But she only frowned.

"Its 2 hours past midnight! Shouldn't you be getting back to your place? GO HOME, Brady."

"Fine. Sure. I'll do that." Mack wasn't convinced. She knew he would surf until at least 5 in the morning.

I'll make sure he wakes up at at LEAST 10 tomorrow... I heard the surf's gonna be great! I just hope he gets enough sleep, Mack thought.

It was 9 when the young girl decided to find Brady. Mack had never been to Brady's house before, although they had been dating since the beginning of summer vacation. The place was fairly secluded. Mack gazed at the houses overgrown lawn and peeling paint for a few seconds.

So, this is where he lives..

An abrupt shout stopped her train of thought.

"You IDIOT! You were supposed to feed the dog!" A woman screamed from inside the house.

"We don't have enough food, Mom!" A voice sobbed loudly. Brady's voice. "And you won't give me money to get more!"

"Stupid boy. So stupid," a man's voice chuckled. "Give the dog your portion of food for the week."

"But-" Brady protested.

"ARE YOU SASSING YOUR FATHER?" The woman's voice again. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! YOU..YOU.."

"Calm down, Charlotte," the man laughed lightly. "The boy just needs another lesson. That's all. C'mere, Brady. Don't walk away from me, mister. Brady, you get back here and learn your-!" A loud smack filled the air followed by a cry of pain.

"SHUT UP YOU MORON!" The woman shouted.

"50 'lessons' should suffice. Oh, Brady. Won't you ever learn from your lessons? Maybe I just have to show you a stronger lesson," the man laughed.

Brady's shouts and screams came with each loud noise.

BRADY!

She had to help him. She ran to the door and rang it repeatedly.

A blonde man looked at her casually, Brady nowhere to be seen.

"I.. Is.. Uhm.. Well..."

"Spit it out, child."

"Can I see Brady?"

The man stared at her for a moment. Then he laughed softly.

"So the kid got a girlfriend," he shook his head. "Brady! Get down here!" Brady walked out a door off to the side of the hall cautiously. He saw Mack and shock was written across his bruised face.

Go, he mouthed. But Mack wasn't about to leave.

"A girl?!" Screeched a woman. "HE BETTER NOT! We can't afford for that thing to knock up some GIRL!"

The man sighed and slapped Brady across the cheek. "Stupid boy," he said. "Get out of here."

Brady walked casually down to Mack's house in silence. Finally, the silence was just too overwhelming for Mack.

"They hurt you." Mack examined him up and down, but couldn't find any injuries other than the bruises on his face.

"Just Dad," he shrugged. "Mom just yells."

"They hurt you," repeated Mack. "But where..?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Let me see."

"No!"

"BRADY! LET ME HELP YOU!"

"I DON'T NEED HELP!"

Mack abruptly lifted his shirt to reveal thousands of cuts and bruises. Brady pulled it down again.

"Why didn't you tell me you needed.. Help? Someone? ME?" Mack felt her eyes watering.

"I did," he shrugged again. "You just didn't listen closely enough." And suddenly it made sense. The way he told her that her mother sounded like a great woman. When he constantly reminded her when they were in the movie that he was happy just being with her. He didn't just like her. She was all that he had. "It's.. It's why I couldn't cope with you leaving."


	2. Chapter 2

"Let me see. Up," Mack ordered Brady. It had been a week since Mack had discovered the abuse in her boyfriend's home life. He had begged her to stay silent on the topic to others. Still, every day Mack would check him for any new injuries. He had his good days and bad days, and today wasn't looking very sunny. Cuts criss-crossed every inch of his back. Brady hissed when Mack gently touched one in her bedroom that night.

"It's not that bad," he said. "Just a bit sore. Promise."  
Mack scowled. "Don't say things you don't mean...So what was it this time?"

"Mom found a chip on one of her china plates."

"Yeah, but I meant, what did he hurt you with? Your dad, I mean."

Brady's eyes shifted to a beautifully framed picture of an equally beautiful woman. "Is that your mom?" He asked. "What happened to her, anyway?"

Mack tensed the slightest bit. "Not now, Brady. I just can't talk about her right now..." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "And don't change the subject! What did he hurt you with?" Silence.

"A kitchen knife," he murmured a few seconds later. Mack's eyes widened with shock.

Mack held his arm firmly yet comfortingly.

"I think we should tell Grandfather."

Brady pulled away. "No! I can't...They'll kill me!"

"They will if you don't get help," cried Mack. Tears welled up in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. Brady instantly softened and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry. I just can't," he whispered. Watching her with regret, Brady slowly backed out the door.

"Brady..." she sobbed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

* * *

The floor creaked beneath Mack's feet as she made her way over to her Grandfather, who was currently hard at work on a new surfboard.

"Grandfather," she said, her voice cracking. He grunted in response and waived her over. "I...I need to tell you something. Something important."

"Fine, you can get a bikini. You're old enough," he rolled his eyes.

"I'M SERIOUS!" Mack shouted, her face turning red. Her grandfather slowly lowered his tools. He shook his head then turned to her.

"What is it?""

"It's about Brady!" She blurted, the tears instantly forming again. Her grandfather looked at her sympathetically.

"I never liked that boy," he grunted. "Young lady like you can do much better. Don't wor-"

"We didn't break up!" Mack gasped.

The old man blushed. "Of course he didn't. So, um... what's going on then?"

"His parents are horrible! His mom's always saying awful things to him and-" She let out a short sob. Her grandfather put his arm across her shoulders.

"There, there now. Look, the things we parents say may seem awful to you youngsters, but it's only in your best interests!"

"But-"

"No buts. Everything we say, do, and teach to you children is out of love," he said confidently. "Now go on and let me work. Sure Brady would love some company at the moment."

Was it true? Did Brady's parents just really love him? His father WAS shouting that he was giving his son a lesson the day she found out. Maybe she had it all wrong! Her boyfriend was totally fine, just a little dramatic. Right? Mack tried her best to convince herself, but she just couldn't. But...Brady had been living for years seeming perfectly happy with this life. Maybe..Maybe it really was okay.

* * *

It was raining hard. Brady had been walking for about half an hour when he finally reached his house. He tried as best as he could to sneak in silently. Carefully cracking the door open, he hoped it wouldn't squeak. Once inside, he took off his shoes and started slow, yet hopefully quiet, climb up the stairs. Two more steps. Then all he had to do was go to his bedroom. Suddenly, his mother's insane dog started barking furiously. He cursed. Why couldn't he just get away with something for once in his life?

"Shhh!" He scolded the dog. "You'll wake her up!" The dog continued barking, the volume increasing.

"Brady? Is that you?!" The shrill voice of his mother shouted.

Brady groaned and started descent back down the stairs. "Mother, I-" His mother stormed up the stairs in a drunken rage. At least his father was out tonight.

"I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU! JUST THIS WEEK YOU FORGOT TO COOK DINNER, BROKE A PLATE, DIDN'T CLEAN THE LIVING ROOM WELL ENOUGH, AND DIDN'T FIX MY BANK ACCOUNT! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

"I-" _Smack! _For the first time in his life, his mother had hit him. She had constantly verbally abused him, sure, and let his father beat him, but his mother herself had never hit him. Soon more and more hits were erupting from the seemingly frail woman. He didn't notice his father letting himself in. He wasn't thinking clearly when he hit his mother back.

She gaped at him in shock and anger. Brady didn't have time to register what happened before his father was staring him down.

"Don't..You..EVER touch her," he panted angrily. Long gone was the man who had laughed and chuckled as he hurt his son. Now, he was seriously pissed off.

Brady's tears mixed with his blood as his father littered his body with punches and threw any chair, lamp, or heavy item that he could. Brady was struggling to breathe when his father finally announced that he was finished for the night.

"I can't stand to look at you," he spat. "I'm going to bed with my wife."

_Breathe in, breathe out.. _Brady repeated to himself. He chanted it over and over to himself but it quickly changed. _Mack..Mack..Mack.._

Brady blindly searched for his cell phone, pain blurring his ability to think straight. _Just call Mack. She'll help. She's gotta help._


	3. Chapter 3

_Bzzt...Bzzzt..._Mack groaned. Who could be calling her so late at night? Rolling over, she reached for her phone, groaning yet again when the bright light hit her eyes. It was Brady. Part of her wanted to hang up, but the other part of her knew that she should probably take the call.

"Hello?" she sighed. "Brady?" She heard someone breathing raggedly and heavily on the phone. "Ugh, Brady! Cut it out." The breathing continued. Mack was about to hang up when Brady's voice came through.

It was soft and pained, but it was still his voice. "He-help...P-P-P...Parents..." The voice gave in to 3 short coughs before emitting a gasping, choking noise. Fear took hold of Mack. She gripped her phone tightly. Not caring that she was in her pajamas, she sneaked into her grandfather's bedroom. The old man snored, startling her. Tip-toeing to the other side of the room, she finally found the keys to the car.

She never noticed his eyes pop open the moment the door shut.

The rain was making it difficult do maneuver around the unsteady road. She sped up, hoping she wouldn't crash. The house awaited her a few minutes later when she leaped out of the car, her feet smacking pavement and grass as she sprinted up to it. One light shone throughout the two story home.

_Brady..._

With a sudden shock of realization, Mack knew she couldn't just waltz through the front door. If his parents had hurt Brady, they most likely wouldn't let her inside to help him. Her eyes traveled up the side of the house. There was nothing to climb up. But..Maybe it WAS possible. And it was.

Because the front door was left unlocked. If she was careful, all she had to do was quietly make her way to Brady.

* * *

Brady found himself lying under the shade of a small silhouette. It shook him gently, the more firmly. He groaned. Why couldn't the shadow just leave him alone? He was tired, and hurt. All he wanted to do was sleep. The shadow wept. They were loud weeps. Tears fell onto Brady's body. Finally, he decided to ask the shadow to leave. But first, he had to open his eyes. That would be tough. They felt as heavy as bricks. Maybe he should just let that mysterious shadow cry. But no, it was too annoying. It was soaking his forehead with its tears. So, finally, the young boy lifted his eyelids.

And what he found was more than just a pesky shadow. "M...M..M-M...Ack.." he struggled to say.

Her head snapped up and her gaze fell to Brady with tear-filled eyes. "Shhh...It'll...It'll be okay. I already called the police." Her hand found his, wrapping her fingers around his calloused ones. The girl ignored the taste of blood as she kissed her boyfriend gently. "I love you," she whispered, "I love you so much."

And her boyfriend wanted to respond, he truly did. But the blonde boy was in a daze. He didn't register how much Mack loved him, or that she had kissed him or held his hand. All he was aware of was the pain. The pain that brought cries to his lips and tears to Mack's eyes.

The pain that soon brought darkness.

* * *

Mack had stopped her crying. It was as if she had run out of tears. And she wanted to believe that Brady would make it. But it was tough. Especially when a similar scene kept playing through her mind. She couldn't help it. After all, it had only happened a year ago.

_Melissa laughed at her daughter's behavior. Mack had been checking out the cashier and Walmart for hours now. Each time Melissa tried to get her to leave, Mack would find an excuse to stay. _

Simply boy crazy, that's what you are, _Melissa had thought. _Just as I had been long ago._ And it was true. Melissa had been falling for boys left and right the moment she turned 14. It had done her no good, of course._ _Because Melissa had gotten pregnant at age 16. She loved her daughter, of course, but she had wished to have gotten a better education than she did with Mack, and wed the boy who had run off without her. _

_Mack giggled at the cashier. She had finally gone up to talk with him. The boy flashed her a smile. And soon enough, Mack had his number. And suddenly the scene was all to familiar. Everything. The boy, the way they flirted, everything. And something inside Melissa broke. Her daughter was falling just as she had. And soon, he would break her heart, just like he had broken Melissa's. Sobbing, Melissa sprinted outside. Mack noticed and went after her._

_"Mom! What are you doing?" Melissa turned to her daughter with blank eyes. _

_"I can't do this. Not anymore," Melissa said. And with that, she ran into the street and into a car. She smacked the pavement, blood pooling around her. _

_"MOMMY!" Mack screamed. "NO!" The young teenager bent down to her mother, cradling her hand to her face. "Why, why? Why!"_

_The woman looked up at her only daughter sadly. "Don't let yourself be pulled through life, Mackenzie. I love you too much for that. March through it, like the brave girl that you are." And with that, her eyes shut. And no matter how much Mack cried out for her to awake, she never did. She was dead._

The sound of sirens interrupted Mack's train of thought. She glanced at the unconscious Brady, then ran out of the room to go get the paramedics. Suddenly, a hand slapped firmly across her shoulders.

"Now, what's going on here?" Brady's father spat.


	4. Chapter 4

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY GRAND-DAUGHTER!" And in a flurry of movement, Mack's grandfather ripped Mack out of the man's grip. Austin's father fell to the floor with a loud smack, blood pooling around the back of his head. Mack gasped in shock as millions of events seemed to unfold before her eyes. Police and paramedics flooded into the house, taking her boyfriend away and shoving his father into the back of a police car. Brady's mother finally crawling out of bed and screaming at her son's lifeless body, only to be taken away by police as well. The situation settled into Mack's mind and suddenly she lurched forward into a sprint. She raced over to the ambulance where Brady was being loaded into. Paramedics told her to stay back and remain calm, but somehow her 'calm' developed into tears and screeches.

"BRADY!" She cried. "Please, please, please, please! I need to be with him!" They informed her which hospital to be at if they wanted to see him, but drove away without her. Her already tear-blurred eyes squinted against the flashing sirens. A gentle hand on her shoulder lead her to a car hidden in the bushes.

"C'mon, sweetie. Let's get you to the hospital," her grandfather said softly. She sniffled quietly in the passenger seat, soon sobbing again as the reached the hospital. She ran in, ignoring the sympathetic stares of those around her. They all assumed that a loved one had died. But Brady wasn't dead. He couldn't die. He just had to be okay. The receptionist informed her that Brady couldn't have any visitors at the moment, but if they would wait for a few hours they could see him later that night.

Mack struggled to make herself comfortable chairs. But she decided that it didn't matter anyways. She wouldn't be able to take her mind off of Brady anyways.

"Are you two here for the young man named Brady?" A nurse smiled kindly. She led them into a well-lit room where Brady lay in bed.

"Oh my god, Brady..." Mack whispered. He was unconscious, and looked so broken. His leg was broken, he had a pretty bad concussion, and multiple cuts. She took his hand in hers, almost shivering from the coolness of it. "Please wake up."


End file.
